An insured client whose vehicle has recently been damaged may wish to quickly obtain an initial estimate of the damage level, repair time, and/or repair cost for his or her damaged vehicle. Often, obtaining such an estimate may require that the insured client take the damaged vehicle to a repair shop. This may be difficult and time consuming for various reasons. For example, the extent of the damage to a vehicle may make it difficult for the client to transport the vehicle to the repair shop, or the nearest repair shop may be located far away. Even if a client is able to take his or her damaged vehicle to a repair shop, he or she may wish to see a second opinion to confirm the damage level, repair time, and/or repair cost for his or her damaged vehicle.
From past submitted insurance claims, insurance companies may have large databases containing images of damaged vehicles from a variety of perspectives, and associated claim data. In each instance, the claim data may include the damage level, repair time, and/or repair cost for the vehicles shown in the images. However, this rich source of information is generally not utilized once the insurance claims at issue are settled.